The Hutt Valley is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region. Its name is derived from the the same place as the Hutt River, that of Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zealand Company in early colonial New Zealand.

The path that the Hutt River takes is roughly that of the major fault line that runs through the region. (In its continuation, it can easily be seen as the reason for the Southern Alps existance in the South Island.) The land rises abruptly to the west of the river, whilst a series of floodplains have developed to the east. The floodplain is roughly triangular, with the base of the triangle seated on the waterfront at Seaview and Petone, facing the Wellington Harbour. As a Unit, our primary turnout area is roughly defined by the confines of that Triangle, although it also covers the western hills (eg Korokoro, Maungarakei, Kelson) and extends to the Rimutaka Hill in the north, and includes the coastal suburbs around Eastbourne in the SouthEast.

The Hutt Valley is made up of two different City Council areas, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. Lower Hutt has a greater population (nearly 100,000) reflective of its greater urban development, whilst Upper Hutt also includes larger areas of rougher terrain and has a smaller population (around 40,000). Upper Hutt is, by area, the largest city-council administered area in New Zealand.

The valley forms a major dormitory suburban area for Wellington, and as such many of our unit volunteers are employed outside of our turnout area. For this reason, we are always keen to hear from members who both live and work in the valley, to assist us with daytime turnouts.

Hutt Valley is the base for a large residential area, as well as for manufacturing and heavy industry, educational and recreational facilities, and the region's motor camps. There are vast areas of vegetation and areas of high density commercial and industrial importance, and a wide variety of socio-economic populations represented across the Valley.

Our neighbouring Fire Police and Operational Support Units include:

• Wellington Operational Support Unit - covering the Wellington CBD and Porirua areas, with the boundary between our areas roughly equivalent to the border between Wellington City, Porirua City and the Hutt Cities,
  
• Wainuiomata Fire Police Unit - A component of Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade, covering the Wainuiomata Fire District in the valley just to the east of Lower Hutt,
  
• Eastbourne Volunteer Fire Brigade to the South-East of the Hutt Valley have their own Operational Support Members,
  
• Paraparaumu Volunteer Fire Brigade have their own Fire Police Unit who support the Kapiti area along with Waikanae and Levin support units.
  

See also Wikipedia articles on The Hutt Valley, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt.